The present invention relates in general to floor consoles for transportation vehicles, and, more specifically, to a console retainer for receiving a transmission shifter assembly.
Cars and trucks have used floor mounted transmission shifters for many years. In the earliest applications, floor transmission shifters were mounted on directly to the floor of a vehicle using a mounting bracket.
The use of a floor mounted console between front driver and passenger seats of vehicles has become popular for many different vehicle types such as sedans, sport utility vehicles, and trucks. A floor console typically has a retainer or frame which is mounted to the floor and is used as a base for receiving various console trim pieces (such as a storage bin, a cup holder, and various finishing panels). In some designs, the transmission shifter is contained within the floor console by mounting the shifter bracket onto the console retainer and then installing the shifter assembly onto the bracket.
The shifter bracket is typically mounted using several bolts and nuts. In order to mount the bracket onto a console retainer, sufficient space must be provided to accommodate the bolts and nuts after installation and to permit access by the tools used to install the bracket (such as a wrench or other driver). For example, scallops in various walls of the console retainer may be required in order to facilitate insertion of an assembly tool. Furthermore, a space must be provided below the console retainer to accommodate the required bolts. Because of the space requirements for the shifter bracket, prior art console retainers have used packaging space within the vehicle inefficiently. As a result, there is less space for mounting a console bin or other console features, and the area available for constructing an air-conditioning duct within the console retainer is reduced, thereby reducing the flow capacity of the duct.